Rogue State Circus
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roguestatecircus.bsky.social
Rogue State Circus
@roguestatecircus.bsky.social
Singer/Songwriter folk rock indie power pop. Too many words, too many chords; never enough time, or guitars... Genre warping believer in the power of songs
https://roguestatecircus.bandcamp.com
Been a strange couple of months finished off the festival season back in September with a trio set at the lovely Art Jam 25 at Delapre Abbey, great day all round. Inspiring.
October 19, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Performed a solo set on the Willow Acoustic Stage at Northants Rocks Festival yesterday: played some of my (appropriately) rockier songs including "Sunday Driver" and "Everything Under The Sun". Good to flex that energy.
July 27, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Last Friday 4th did a showcase solo gig of energetic acoustic versions of some of the less frequently performed heavier/rockier end of the Rogue State Circus Songbook. Went very well, did it in part as prep to inform set selection for a solo acoustic set on Sat 26 at Northants Rocks Festival.
July 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Wappenham Festival, Sat 28th June The Rogue State Circus will be mainstaging at 2pm a festival on a rural farm: other farm-based festivals are available this weekend apparently, but we're not at them...😉
June 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Feeling a bit "after the Lord Mayor's show" post the amazing day that was Kettfest 2025. Sunshine for the soul, lovely people, great music, fab vibe. For 5 mins afterwards, I thought of knocking live performance on the head as there won't be many, if any, days so good again. Only for 5 mins though😉
June 17, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Kettfest2025. Today. Sat 14 June. Mainstage 4:45. The weather is perfect and we are human. Come and join the circus. Go Rogue. #Kettfest #festival #original
June 14, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The Rogue State Circus
are looking forward to serving up some premium strength #original #indie #Folk-rock #powerpop as we hit the #Kettfest #Mainstage at 4:45 this Saturday 14 June. #festival #songwriting #live.
June 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Rogue State Circus
Band rehearsals for our summer festival appearances start tomorrow. Need 30 min and 45 minute sets always hard to choose the 30 min set songs as the temptation is go for all up tempo "bangers" as they say....
June 1, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Another class folk night last night, with guitars, harmonica, fiddle, Cello, voices, usual admixture of trad tunes, shanties, originals. Dug out 2023 song "Heart Of A Traveller" that I played live once the week it was written, never since. Probably has potential, if I tighten structure could be Good
May 30, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Yesterday was a particularly fruitful day for #songwriting -four good strong new ones done, and another three nearly there, all written on #baritone #acoustic #8-string #guitar for a change - enough to consider live sets using it alone, now to decide how to incorporate the Baritone in Rogue gigs.
May 28, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Music is my medicine... It holds my heart and heals my head.
🙂
May 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Recently digging out some older #original #songs that the band are intending to bring back at festival gigs this summer. Have been doing a few open mics performing them to get the live muscle memory working again. Good workout today, no glaring errors.
May 19, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Yesterday's folk night, lots of waltz time stuff, (I snuck in a fast jazz waltz original ) all woven with the sound of three acoustic guitars, tenor and soprano ukes, fiddle, melodeon and harmonicas all making a grand noise topped off with a wall of vocal harmonies. Fun🙂
May 9, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Inspiration: more than a tad enamoured of most recent #guitar acquisition; a delightful 1992 #Yamaha SA2200 semi-acoustic prototype, first guitar I've ever had strung with flat wounds; easiest playing neck which is making me play in a different, lyrical way; almost feel like my own session musician😉
May 6, 2025 at 12:43 AM
It's #BandcampFriday There are two Rogue State Circus Albums and a number of individual tracks of all #original songs available for download so if genre warping #indie #folkrock #powerpop might be your thing - please do give it a go.....
bandcamp.com/roguestateci...
bandcamp.com
May 2, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Good, if slightly backhanded, compliment from a fellow songwriter at an acoustic session yesterday "I never know where you're going to go with your songs, you don't go for the expected changes... Drives me mad, and some of those chords are bit prog..." 😉
April 25, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Off to local folk session night again tonight, there's something uniquely joyful and inspiring about playing unplugged in a room full of friendly and participatory musicians and singers, and the delights of the ad-hoc improvised augmentation of my own songs are icing on the cake.
April 3, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Today I learned a new guitar chord form, surprisingly useful and a combination of jazzy tones I like. I don't know why it had never occurred to me before: Major seventh flat fifth. Now to resist the temptation to overuse it.....
January 30, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Been a kind of major seventh day writing wise today. Not much in the way of real lyrical inspiration so ready for the struggle to find words to fit later. (I'm lyrics first 90% of the time)
January 27, 2025 at 12:05 AM
After a very quiet couple of weeks, off out tonight to the local unplugged folk night armed with my favourite Yamaha CPX1000 to play a few of my folkier originals, and accompany Eamon, a fab fiddle player. Always a joy🙂
January 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Rogue State Circus
I’ve shared this on that other place before but because I’ve been revisiting Elvis Costello the past day or so I’m offering it here. One of his absolute best, written with Burt Bacharach. GORGEOUS live vocals.

youtu.be/FAxmk38J-SA?...
God Give Me Strength (Live From The Spectacular Spinning Songbook Tour / 2011)
YouTube video by ElvisCostelloVEVO
youtu.be
January 6, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Late night/early morning: writing on an unplugged telecaster to keep the noise down. I really like the sound, so might try micing it up from a distance when I get around to demoing some of these new tunes.
January 14, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Rich vein of new material being mined (drill, baby, drill..)
January 13, 2025 at 6:36 PM